Health care with a view
Authors: Ola Løkken Nordrum
Journal: The Lancet Planetary Health (2022)

Tired, unappealing, and tar stained. This is what most hospital roofs look like. In our striving to provide the best and most efficient health care, hospitals have become health factories, dominated by barren, sterile greyness. What is sorely missing from most hospitals and, more specifically, hospital roofs, is greenery. What if patients could lie in their beds and stare out onto a wildflower meadow—a small step towards providing health care alongside nature. A green roof is a general term used for all types of vegetation on roofs, ranging from shrubs or grass to wildflower meadows, vegetable-producing roof gardens, or even trees. As such, green roofs have the potential to replace some of the vegetation that was lost when the building was constructed.1Rowe DB Green roofs as a means of pollution abatement.Environ Pollut. 2011; 159: 2100-2110Crossref PubMed Scopus (411) Google Scholar Rooms with natural views have been shown to enhance post-operative recovery, shorten hospital stays, and reduce analgesia requirements, resulting in the dictum: nature can positively influence wellbeing.2Ulrich RS View through a window may influence recovery from surgery.Science. 1984; 224: 420-421Crossref PubMed Scopus (2494) Google Scholar However, given how hospitals are typically situated in densely populated areas, surrounding hospitals with greenery might not be feasible. Therefore, the answer might be on the roof. Since Roger Ulrich's initial paper,2Ulrich RS View through a window may influence recovery from surgery.Science. 1984; 224: 420-421Crossref PubMed Scopus (2494) Google Scholar exposure to green spaces has been related to wide-ranging health benefits.3Twohig-Bennett C Jones A The health benefits of the great outdoors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes.Environ Res. 2018; 166: 628-637Crossref PubMed Scopus (574) Google Scholar The surroundings in which patients heal matter. Furthermore, green roofs can have wider positive effects. They can both provide safe environments for wildlife and insects and act as corridors between habitats. They can directly aid climate adaptation in relation to storm water management, as they can absorb water before slowly releasing it.1Rowe DB Green roofs as a means of pollution abatement.Environ Pollut. 2011; 159: 2100-2110Crossref PubMed Scopus (411) Google Scholar Additionally, energy savings can be substantial, as green roofs can reflect excess heat and improve building insulation.4Castleton HF Stovin V Beck SB Davison JB Green roofs; building energy savings and the potential for retrofit.Energy Build. 2010; 42: 1582-1591Crossref Scopus (575) Google Scholar The addition of green roofs in urban areas has also been shown to improve urban air quality.5Viecco M Jorquera H Sharma A Bustamante W Fernando HJ Vera S Green roofs and green walls layouts for improved urban air quality by mitigating particulate matter.Build Environ. 2021; 204108120Crossref Scopus (17) Google Scholar Overall, green roofs could do more than simply aid healing and have far reaching positive effects. Hospitals should aim to become green pillars in their communities. Greening their surroundings and roofs might be one small step towards achieving this. By using the healing effects of nature, and by adapting a more holistic approach to health care, hospitals could lead the way within their communities towards a more sustainable future. A future that will not only benefit the patients, but also hospital staff and the wider community. I declare no competing interests.